This looks like another horrific manifestation of human caused Climate Change.
By Alaa Elassar
(CNN) Biologists at New Mexico State University are trying to find out why hundreds of thousands of migratory birds have been found dead across the state.
"It's just terrible," Desmond told CNN. "The number is in the six figures. Just by looking at the scope of what we're seeing, we know this is a very large event, hundreds of thousands and maybe even millions of dead birds, and we're looking at the higher end of that."
Dead migratory birds -- which include species such as warblers, bluebirds, sparrows, blackbirds, the western wood pewee and flycatchers -- are also being found in Colorado, Texas and Mexico.
Residents and biologists reported seeing birds acting strangely before they died. For example, birds that are normally seen in shrubs and trees have been spotted on the ground looking for food and chasing bugs.
Many were lethargic and unresponsive so they were getting hit by cars, Desmond said, in numbers "larger than ever seen before."
One of the factors biologists believe may have contributed to the deaths of the birds is the
wildfires burning in California and other Western states, which may have forced the birds into early migration before they were ready.
Smoke from the Western Wildfires may also be dammaging the birds lungs.
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"This is devastating. Climate charge is playing a role in this." Desmond said. "We lost 3 billion birds in the US since 1970 and we've also seen a tremendous decline in insects, so an event like this is terrifying to these populations and it's devastating to see."
This year I’ve noticed an odd absence of birds on the beaches around here on Whidbey island.
The pall of wildfire smoke is 6,000 feet thick, and now stretches east to New York and Boston.